3. a. The Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services shall adopt reasonable and flexible regulations for creating the three-year pilot program.

    b. The director shall adopt standards regarding the physical facility, staffing, record keeping and other administrative requirements for the program.

    c. The director shall review child care center proposals submitted by continuing care retirement communities, regulated by the Department of Community Affairs pursuant to P.L.1986, c.103 (C.52:27D-330 et seq.) and assisted living facilities, licensed by the Department of Health and Senior Services, interested in participating in the program as sponsors, and in consultation with the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, grant low-interest loans from the Intergenerational Child Care Pilot Program Fund, established pursuant to section 4 of this act within six months of the effective date of this act to those proposals which best meet the purposes of the Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Pilot Program.

    4. a. There is established in the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency a nonlapsing, revolving Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Pilot Program Fund for the purpose of granting low-interest loans to eligible programs under the Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Pilot Program in the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services. Moneys in the fund not immediately required for payment or liquid reserves may be invested and reinvested by the agency in the same manner in which other agency funds may be invested.

     b. There shall be paid into the fund (1) otherwise uncommitted reserves of the agency available for this purpose, in amounts to be determined by the agency to be prudent and appropriate; (2) any income earned upon investment of moneys in the fund by the agency pursuant to subsection a. of this section; and (3) any other funds that may be available to the fund through appropriation by the Legislature or otherwise.

    c. The amount of a low-interest loan available to an eligible program shall not exceed $50,000.

    5.    Volunteers in the continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities in which the pilot programs are located may participate in a training program established by the Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services for the Neighborhood-Based Child Care Incentive Demonstration Program, established pursuant to P.L. ,c. (C. )(Pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No.    ), or the director may refer them to other volunteer training programs.

    6. The Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services shall apply for and accept any grant of money from the federal government, private foundations or other sources, which may be available for the Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Pilot Program and for volunteer training.

    7. No later than six months before the expiration of this act, the Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services shall report to the Legislature and the Governor on the effectiveness of the program and present recommendations for expanding the program, as appropriate.

    8. In accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), the Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services in the Department of Human Services shall adopt rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    9. This act shall take effect immediately and expire on the first day of the 37th month after enactment.

STATEMENT

    This bill directs the Commissioner of Human Services to establish a three-year Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Pilot Program in the Division of Youth and Family Services.

    The program shall be designed to involve: providers of continuing care and assisted living services interested in developing child care programs at their facilities to serve the children of the facilities' employees and children from the surrounding communities; volunteer networks of retired teachers, nurses and other qualified persons who reside at the continuing care retirement communities and the assisted living facilities to participate in the child care program; employees at these facilities who need child care services; community leaders; and local businesses interested in establishing collaborative partnerships with the continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities in developing the child care centers.            

    The bill provides that the Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services shall adopt reasonable and flexible regulations for creating the three-year pilot program. The director shall adopt standards regarding the physical facility, staffing, record keeping and other administrative requirements for the program.

    The director shall review child care center proposals submitted by continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities interested in participating in the program as sponsors, and in consultation with the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, grant low-interest loans within six months of the effective date of this bill to those proposals which best meet the purposes of the pilot program.

    The bill establishes the Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Pilot Program Fund in the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency for the purpose of granting the low-interest loans.The amount of a low-interest loan available to an eligible program shall not exceed $50,000.

    The bill provides that volunteers in the continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities in which the pilot programs are located may participate in a training program established by the Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services for the Neighborhood-Based Child Care Incentive Demonstration Program, established pursuant to P.L. ,c. (C. )(Pending before the Legislature as Assembly Bill No. ), or refer them to other volunteer training programs.

     Also, the Director of the Division of Youth and Family Services shall apply for and accept any grant of money from the federal government, private foundations or other sources, which may be available for the child care incentive programs and for volunteer training.

     No later than six months before the expiration of this bill, the director shall report to the Legislature and the Governor on the effectiveness of the program and present recommendations for expanding the program, as appropriate.

    This bill is one of several legislative initiatives resulting from a series of public hearings on child care issues which were held by the General Assembly Advisory Council on Women in 1996 and 1997.

Establishes Intergenerational Child Care Incentive Pilot Program.